Perceval; ou, le conte du Graal
Quick Summary
Perceval; ou, le conte du Graal is an unfinished 12th-century Arthurian romance by Chrétien de Troyes. It tells the story of Perceval, a knight known for his innocent, childlike nature.
The narrative follows Perceval's visit to the castle of the Fisher King, where he witnesses a mysterious grail procession but fails to ask a question that would have healed the king. This event sets him on a quest for the grail, during which he learns about chivalry and its connection to religious teachings.
While Chrétien's work is foundational, the character of Perceval was later developed and sometimes superseded by Sir Galahad as the primary grail hero in subsequent Arthurian legends. The story was notably adapted and expanded by Wolfram von Eschenbach in his epic poem Parzival.12
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
- Perceval
In ChrĂ©tien de Troyesâs poem Le Conte du Graal (12th century), Percevalâs great adventure was a visit to the castle of the wounded Fisher King, where he saw a mysterious dish (or grail) but, having previously been scolded for asking too many questions, failed to ask the question that wouldâŠ
Read MoreIn ChrĂ©tien de Troyesâs poem Le Conte du Graal (12th century), Percevalâs great adventure was a visit to the castle of the wounded Fisher King, where he saw a mysterious dish (or grail) but, having previously been scolded for asking too many questions, failed to ask the question that wouldâŠ
Read More 
French literatureThe romanceâŠwork more than the incomplete Perceval; ou, le conte du Graal, which may be the conflation of two unfinished poems. The grail, first introduced here, was to become, as the Holy Grail, a remarkably potent symbol. The verse romance genre was diversely exploited well into the 14th century, but byâŠ
Read MoreâŠwork more than the incomplete Perceval; ou, le conte du Graal, which may be the conflation of two unfinished poems. The grail, first introduced here, was to become, as the Holy Grail, a remarkably potent symbol. The verse romance genre was diversely exploited well into the 14th century, but byâŠ
Read More- romanceChrétien de Troyes
Even in ChrĂ©tienâs Perceval, ou Le Conte du Graal (âPerceval, or the Romance of the Grailâ)âthe work in which the Grail appears for the first time in European literatureâthe stress is on narrative incident interspersed with predictions of future happenings and retrospective explanations. Arthurian romances of the periodâŠ
Read MoreEven in ChrĂ©tienâs Perceval, ou Le Conte du Graal (âPerceval, or the Romance of the Grailâ)âthe work in which the Grail appears for the first time in European literatureâthe stress is on narrative incident interspersed with predictions of future happenings and retrospective explanations. Arthurian romances of the periodâŠ
Read More